Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar is considering closing Israel’s embassy in Norway, which has been operating without an ambassador since May 2024.
Former ambassador Avi Nir-Feldklein was recalled to Israel for consultations following Norway’s formal recognition of a Palestinian state. Since then, the embassy has been run by his deputy.
The Foreign Ministry is now conducting an organized review, led by Sa’ar, regarding the embassy’s future. Israel had decided to wait for Norway’s elections, believing a political shift could allow relations to be rehabilitated, but that shift did not materialize and the left-wing government that recognized a Palestinian state remains in power.
Norway has been among the most hostile countries toward Israel since Oct. 7, rivaled only by Ireland and Spain. The Norwegian government is considered one of the most extreme Israel has faced to date. Oslo recently appealed to the International Court of Justice in The Hague regarding Israel’s actions against the UN's Palestinian relief organization, UNRWA, which has been accused by Israel of supporting terrorism.
In addition, Norway’s sovereign wealth fund, the largest in the world, announced in August that it would pull investments in Israeli banks — International Bank of Israel, Bank Leumi, Mizrahi Tefahot, Bank Hapoalim and investment house Fibi — as well as in the American heavy equipment company Caterpillar, which manufactures D9 bulldozers heavily used by the IDF’s Engineering Corps.
A Foreign Ministry official said Norway “took something that should have been professional, economic and apolitical and turned it into a political issue. They are injecting anti-Israel politicization into the sovereign wealth fund.”
Norway also imposed sanctions on ministers Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich over their actions to promote Israeli sovereignty in Judea and Samaria. Oslo has also said it would not hesitate to arrest Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former defense minister Yoav Gallant, subject to arrest warrants issued by the International Criminal Court over the war in Gaza.
Sa’ar already ordered the closure of Israel’s embassy in Dublin, Ireland’s capital, last December. His guiding principle has been to shut embassies in hostile countries while opening parallel missions in friendly states to strengthen diplomatic ties.
Sa’ar has declared that the coming year will be the “year of Latin America,” citing regime changes and the rise of right-wing governments, and said Israel would warm relations with several countries, including Chile. Israel has already renewed ties with Bolivia and hopes to turn a new page with Colombia and possibly Brazil. Over the past year, Sa’ar has opened three new embassies, in Zambia, Estonia and Moldova.
A Foreign Ministry official said Norway is “clearly among the leaders of the harm and boycotts against Israel. It is at the forefront of defamation and moves that damage Israel in international forums, and therefore, the option of closing the embassy is being considered. Discussions are ongoing within the Foreign Ministry.”